New England is shaking off an icy Thursday storm and bracing for a potential dumping of snow next week, but the Red Sox will provide the first sign of spring Friday afternoon.
Boston opens its spring training slate of games with its annual contest against Northeastern University at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Red Sox fans can see the game live beginning at 1 p.m. ET on NESN as part of our comprehensive spring training coverage.
Grapefruit League action begins Saturday against Atlanta, and while Alex Cora’s team undoubtedly will ease into the 2023 grind, the Red Sox lineup Friday against the Huskies features a good deal of regulars.
Here’s how the Sox will start.
Jarren Duran, CF
Rafael Devers, 3B
Kiké Hernández, SS
Masataka Yoshida, LF
Alex Verdugo, RF
Jorge Alfaro, DH
Triston Casas, 1B
Enmanuel Valdez, 2B
Stephen Scott, C
Oddanier Mosqueda, LHP
Among the key takeaways:
It’s a bit rare to see so many regulars in the spring opener, particularly against the college kids. This spring is unique, however, with a bunch of Sox playing in the World Baseball Classic. Devers, Hernández, Yoshida, Verdugo and Alfaro are all expected to represent their countries next month.
Getting a first look at Yoshida is certainly the most interesting storyline of the day. Of course, facing Northeastern pitching is a step down from what he saw in Japan, so we won’t get our first gauge of how he’ll handle that, but the intrigue on its own is worthwhile. He has already turned some heads in camp.
Keep an eye on Valdez, too. The Sox acquired the 24-year-old from Houston in the Christian Vázquez trade, and he made an early impact on the organization. Valdez hit seven home runs and drove in 30 runs in just 44 games at Worcester after coming over at the deadline.
Friday kicks off a five-day stretch in which every Red Sox spring training game will be broadcast on NESN or NESN+ and the NESN 360 app.
